Go West, You Harlot!

Alexis Ashe

The dudes get driven crazy by their horses and

me, playing cards with the queen of hearts brushed on like rouge

and called my lips, They love all that artistic like a showgirl,

attitude like a man, so I pole dance to The Cult

and I do it for Dallas, cause hearing you’re just a lil devil

is a medicine even better than the Apache tear in my handbag

and I know I've got pyromaniac blues,

but any man who could understand

doesn't rely on me to make him cool

The starry frontiers made me a bad girl,

the punk rock saloon can make you wild, if you try

Heavy makeup and Penthouse stories

from the city in the east, everyone knows I’m the hottest belle

in this stagecoach, I’m no other lady,

I’m spinning into a ritual at the bar, marriage,

striped stockings, catcalling

the words

Go west, you harlot

Alexis Ashe is an artist and writer based in New York. She currently attends New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where her work has been featured in various poetry readings and showcases.